News of Terry Trafford's death hits NHLer Richard Clune hard

Predators forward Richard Clune has had plenty of on-ice battles, but he has also battled alcohol and drug abuse as well as depression off the ice. The death this week of Saginaw Spirit forward Terry Trafford has hit very close to home for Clune. (Martin Chevalier/QMI Agency/Files)

Gene Pereira, Special to QMI Agency

BARRIE, ONT. - The news that missing Saginaw Spirit forward Terry Trafford had been found dead in his truck Tuesday in a Michigan parking lot hit Richard Clune hard.

“My heart is really heavy for this kid, Terry, and his family,” the former Barrie Colt said from a hotel room in Chicago, where he and his Nashville Predators teammates were getting ready for their Friday night NHL contest against the Blackhawks.

Trafford was last been seen leaving Wendler Arena in Saginaw, Mich., on March 3. The 20-year-old Toronto native, who had last got into a game with Saginaw on Feb. 17, had been sent home by the Ontario Hockey League club for what is believed to be a disciplinary reasons.

Roy Trafford, Terry’s father, told QMI Agency that a recent phone message left on his cellphone from Saginaw general manager Jim Paliafito indicated that his son was no longer welcome back on the team, news that was surely devastating for a young hockey player who dreamed one day of playing in the National Hockey League.

Trafford’s girlfriend, Skye Cieszlak, told QMI Agency that the Spirit forward battled depression and that he only confided in her about his mental state and never took medication.

Which is why this hits so close to home for Clune. He has also battled depression. Clune self-medicated using alcohol and later drugs, leading to an addiction that not only could have cost him his hockey career, but possibly his life.

Some three years ago, Clune reached out and got the help he needed.

“I’ve been reflecting on (Trafford’s death) all morning and it’s really got me,” said the 26-year-old Toronto native, who played the 2006-07 season with Barrie, racking up 32 goals, 46 assists and 151 penalty minutes. “I’ve been kind of fazed over it because I’ve been where that kid’s been.

“You leave home when you’re 16 years old and you basically take a leap of faith chasing down this dream of being a professional hockey player.”

A third-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 2005, Clune spent two years in the organization before being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings.

He ended up being put on waivers by the Kings after the NHL lockout, but was picked up by Nashville where he has spent the last year-and-a-half patrolling the wing.

Clune has fulfilled his dream, but his journey was far from an easy one. His own problems started back in junior hockey and things grew worse as he made his way through the professional ranks.

As the pressure and expectations grew with each step along the way, it took a toll on him mentally. To deal with it, he sought out in escape in alcohol and drugs.

He had always been close to his parents and two younger brothers, Matt and Ben, growing up. They always had been so supportive.

But away from home, things changed for Clune and so did his relationship with his family. He found himself pushing away from them.

“I didn’t want my brothers to see me in the state I was in and the way I was with my life,” he said. “I didn’t want to hear my parents tell me I needed help.”

Clune is ever thankful he would find a way to reach out to his family.

“I was in a bad spot for a while and fortunately things changed,” said the rugged winger, who has scored twice and racked up 129 penalty minutes in 43 games with the Preds this season. “I always wanted to live, I just didn’t know how. I always wanted to get better and for some reason I broke down and accepted help.

“There isn’t a day that goes by now that I don’t talk to every single person in my family. I have a big support system," he added.

Clune says he is grateful for the time he spent in the OHL and all he learned in his three seasons in Sarnia and another in Barrie.

But he believes more needs to be done by the league and the Canadian Hockey League to support the players in hopes of preventing tragic deaths like Trafford’s.

“He was obviously in a different place than a lot of other people,” Clune said of the young Saginaw forward. “He probably needed more attention than someone else and these things need to be taken serious.

"There needs to be some sort of system put in place.”

Clune says too often the reaction is to first punish the player when they run into disciplinary problems instead of searching for a deeper issue.

Still, he admits it isn’t easy to see that it runs much deeper.

“How do you ever know?” he asked. “I know a lot of people, like myself, keep it bottled inside. You want everyone to hear what you’re saying. There’s an expression I heard over the years, ‘You want people to hear what you’re not telling them.’

“You keep your emotions bottled inside. You’re trying to carry on and trying to play hockey and go to high school and you’re confused.”

Clune hopes this will spur the CHL to develop an extensive system where kids can get counselling and professional treatment.

“I hope everyone’s consciousness in junior hockey kind of evolves,” he said. “I know the National Hockey League was hit pretty hard with (Vancouver Canucks) Rick Rypien passing away a few years ago. The only positive you could really take, I think, was that hockey players started to see that these were some serious issues.”

Clune explains how when you’re brought up in the hockey world, you’re taught to be tough and you don’t want to show weakness, or express emotions and feelings.

Players, he says, need to know they’re not alone. That there’s always someone there for them.

“Depression is the type of disease where you’re in jail, but you’re also the one putting yourself in jail,” Clune said. “It’s where you can’t run from it, but you’re putting it on yourself.

“I can tell you firsthand what it’s like. I’ve dealt with it over the years. You’ve got to find ways outside of the game to unload the stress," he added. "I obviously turned to some unhealthy avenues before, but now I’ve got a lot of different things, a lot of different outlets that I use.”

Which is why Clune has come out publicly with his own struggles in hopes that he can help others going through similar battles.

Last June in Toronto, Clune and his mother, Anne Marie, were recognized, along with Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, for their contributions to addiction awareness and treatment. They each received Peter Armstrong Community Awards of Excellence.

“I’m just one guy,” Clune said. “For whatever reason, when you play in the National Hockey League, people sort of listen to what you have to say a little bit more. My story is what it is. I can’t tell you why I got lucky.

“Some days, I’ve been in the spot where I didn’t think I was going to make it. But every day that goes by, I’m grateful. I was lucky to get some good help and for whatever reason I was open to it. I can’t explain why I’m at where I’m at.”